Spinal cord injury is highest among 18-30 age group: Study

The incidence of spinal cord injury, which can cause temporary or permanent changes in its function, is the highest among people aged between 18 and 30 years.

Of the patients, 68.8% are male and 31.2% are female, revealed a study by the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) titled Rehabilitation of Persons with Spinal Cord Injury in Bangladesh.

The results of a study, the first of its kind, conducted on people with spinal cord injuries, were released at the dissemination programme at the BSMMU's Milton Hall on Saturday.

Professor Taslim Uddin, principal investigator of the Bangladesh Spinal Cord Injury Study Center, said 2,469 patients with traumatic and disease-related spinal cord injury (SCI) from 18 institutes and private chambers in Bangladesh were included in the study from 2018 to 2022.

Of them, 35% are between the ages of 18-30.

Taslim attributed the higher incidence in this age range to younger people going out more and being more active.

Trauma is the leading cause of spinal cord injury.

Among the patients with traumatic CSI, the highest number of patients received the injury after falling from heights (45.43%), followed by road accidents (29.38%), hanging (24.30%) and sports 0.86%.

Disease-related SCI was most common in patients with degeneration (42.5%), followed by tumours (40.3%) and then tuberculosis (11.8%), accompanied by head injuries and fractures of the arms and legs.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), annually, between 250,000 and 500,000 people suffer from SCI globally.

The WHO said mortality risk is highest in the first year after injury and remains high compared to the general population.

People with spinal cord injuries are two to five times more likely to die prematurely than people without SCI.

Mortality risk increases with injury level and severity and is strongly influenced by timely, quality medical care availability.

Transfer method to hospital after injury and time to hospital admission are important factors.

Chief guest BSMMU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr Sharfuddin Ahmed said the country's economy is being damaged due to spinal cord injuries.

Besides, the families of those with the condition may become destitute due to the expensive treatment. It needs more research and awareness, he added.

Professor Ahmed said suicide attempts also leave people with severe spinal cord injuries. Preventing suicides could prevent such injuries, he added.

Ahmed also said many people in rural areas fall from trees, resulting in injuries, so training can also be done in this regard.

He recommended a separate medical centre at the division level to treat spinal cord injuries. For doctors to perform their duties properly in these hospitals, their accommodations should be secured. By doing this, the patient, as well as their family, can be protected from financial loss, he said.

At the event, it was also disclosed that there was no registry or list of spinal cord injury patients in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Spinal Cord Injury Survey was part of International Spinal Cord Injury Community Research.

This is the first step to identifying the real life quality and problems of people with spinal cord injury. This study is a multi-national study involving more than 40 countries.

It was also informed that community-level research would be started for the second research phase in January 2023.

This phase is being researched jointly with India and Australia as part of the International Spinal Cord Injury Survey.